I remember from the time I was small our extended family would come up (an expression garnered from living in the "upper country" or mountains as apposed to living in the "lower country" or valley) every year for hunting season.

I know I have mentioned it before, but hunting season is about so much more than filling a tag. Here in our little part of Idaho, it is the heralding in of the changing of the season and, for me, the beginning of the holidays.

The beginning of the holidays? I am sure most of you are perplexed by that statement. But for me, hunting season is not just about hunting and filling my tag, not even just about putting food on the table for my family - it is also about being together with our loved ones, family and friends, celebrating the glory of nature and the animals we get to share it with, from the mighty elk to the small chipmunk, for sharing old stories and creating new stories with each other, by giving of ourselves and helping our family enjoy and prosper from a tradition that has been handed down from previous generations of our family. Now, doesn't that sound just like the perfect description of a holiday? :)

Being able to share the tradition of hunting with our children is an honor and a responsibility, a joy and an accomplishment that both Colin and I value deeply. We are thankful and proud to be a hunting family and pass on our reverence for nature, for wildlife, and for providing for our family through hunting, to both of our children.